Contents

The major emotional arc of Inception revolves around Dom Cobb and his guilt over the death of his wife Mal. After Mal commits suicide and Cobb flees the US to avoid arrest for her murder, Cobb takes a series of illegal dream extraction jobs while desperately searching for a way home to his two children. Filled with guilt and regret over his role in Mal's death, his dreams are haunted by her vengeful projection.

Fandom

Fics for Cobb/Mal explore what if Mal were right and the events of Inception were all Cobb's dream, how they got into shared dreaming, or their time together in Limbo. They are often a background or secondary pairing to Arthur/Eames. Due to Mal's canon death, a happily ever after ending is only possible in AUs.

Example Fanworks

Provenance by rageprufrock. An art theft AU. Eleven years ago, Dom was new to Interpol and effusive with enthusiasm, and in the thrall of his own cleverness he'd met Mal during one of Arthur's ruthlessly thorough crash-course weekends.